The Incorruptibles - Buddhist Division.

This scores high on the "eww, yuck" index - Sokushinbutsu: the Buddhist art of self-mummification.

Hundreds of years ago in northern Japan, a sect of Buddhism practiced a now-illegal form of burial. Existing only in fairy tales until its recent discovery, Sokushinbutsu was a slow, painful death that monks practiced on themselves, resulting in a near-perfect preservation of their bodies.


The process was long and arduous; taking almost 6 years to complete. For the first 1,000 days, the monk would change his diet to consist of nothing but nuts and seeds while exercising daily to eliminate as much body fat as possible. After 666 days, he would move on to an even more restricting diet; eating nothing but roots and tree bark. Finally, as the 1,000 days came to a close a special tea made of toxic sap was drunk; slowly poisoning the body and making it inedible to maggots.


The final step consisted of locking oneself in a small tomb in the lotus position with nothing but an air tube and a bell. After the bell stopped ringing on a regular basis, the monk was presumed dead and the tomb was sealed. 1,000 days later, the monks would uncover the tomb to assess the success of the mummification.


Fully-preserved monks were venerated as a Buddha, given a permanent viewing platform within the temple. The majority who decomposed as normal were still praised for their dedication. With only a handful of preserved bodies left, we can only guess how many monks attempted this.